XML (Extensible Markup Language)

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a markup language that is used to store and transport data. It was developed in the late 1990s as a way to provide a standard format for encoding information in documents that could be used by different applications, platforms, and operating systems.

XML is a text-based language, meaning that its content is represented using plain text that can be easily read and modified by humans. It uses a set of rules for defining tags that identify the structure and content of the data being encoded. These tags are enclosed in angle brackets (<>) and consist of a tag name and one or more attributes.

XML is a flexible and extensible language, meaning that it can be customized to fit the needs of different applications and industries. It allows developers to define their own tags and structures for storing and exchanging data. This makes XML particularly useful for creating document formats and data exchange protocols that can be used by different systems and applications.

XML documents can be created and edited using a wide range of software tools, including text editors, specialized XML editors, and even programming languages like Java and Python. XML documents can also be validated against a set of rules to ensure that they conform to a specific schema or structure.

In recent years, XML has been largely superseded by other data exchange formats such as JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) and YAML (YAML Ain’t Markup Language), which are more compact and easier to work with in some contexts. However, XML remains an important standard in many industries and applications, particularly in fields like finance, government, and publishing where standardization and compatibility are important.